Maureen Lee

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Imagine yourself sitting in a warm room at a meeting or presentation, you are listening to the soothing sounds of the speaker’s voice, and suddenly you feel your head nod forward and you realize your eyelids have shut despite your best efforts to pay attention. You snap your head to attention and sit up straight, only to feel your body relax and the weight of your eyelids betray you over and over again. As you dig your nails into your palm, pinch your arms, and stab yourself with your pen to stay awake, you tell yourself, yet again, that you have got to go to bed earlier and get more sleep.

But you don’t. Sure you might go to bed a little earlier that night, but it won’t be long before familiar habits take over and you find yourself working late, catching up on emails, or binge watching Netflix just to relax. You continue to stay up too late and wake up tired. You’re not alone.

Modern society glorifies busyness and getting things done – for years we’ve put hard work and success above sleep. We often brag about how little sleep we get and how much we get done. However, researchers and medical professionals are ringing

the alarm bells: We need to wake up to the fact that not getting enough sleep is bad for us (see these NationalPost and CBCarticles). We now know is that a lack of sleep actually makes us less productive and impairs our memory, reflexes, and judgement. Adequate sleep is also related to improved outcomes of both physical and mental health. So what can we do about it?

Sleep Week

To bring awareness to our need for better sleep and promote healthier sleep habits, West Vancouver Schools will be celebrating Sleep Week from February 18th-22nd.

Each day will focus on one sleep tip to encourage a change for better sleep (see the details here). Perhaps the one that might have the biggest impact is a shift in our use of electronics. Sure, it’s easy to say that the kids have to stay on top of their homework assignments, or that I have to make sure I check those emails from work, but did you know that the blue light emitted from screens interferes with the natural release of melatonin in our bodies? Try turning off the devices at least 1 hour before bed for a week and see how it changes your ability to sleep. If you just have to finish that assignment or report on your device, wear orange tinted glasses that filter out the blue light. Another small change that all individuals and families can make is to create a charging station away from the bedroom. I have been doing this for 6 months and the improvement in my sleep quality has been undeniable. I went back to using an old school clock radio for my alarm, and it has been amazing. Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl and Dr. Mark Lysyshyn will be giving us more information and suggestions in the March 12th DPAC event “Dreaming of Better Sleep for Your Family?” which is open to anyone who wants to learn more.

So starting next week, what changes are you going to try? Come celebrate Sleep Week with West Vancouver Schools and get a better night’s sleep to have a better day.

I know that some of you are thinking, “‘instant pot’ is two words…” As much as I love my Instant Pot, the word that is going to help guide my thinking and being for 2019 is “patience” (but see how I managed to get the Instant Pot in there ;)).

This is the first year that I am engaging in the one word challenge. Many others, including Superintendent Kennedy, have been selecting a word to provide a year’s worth of clarity and focus for some time now. I’m late to the party again. With so much I want to change about myself, my practice, my situation; finding one word to sustain the focus of my improvement seemed impossible. But, this year (finally), it hit me – patience!

I have always been the sort of person who looks ahead – wanting things to be better, for me, for others, and right now. However, it can often be frustrating that change happens slower than I’d like. Sometimes it seems that the world is a cold and difficult place with nothing but roadblocks and obstacles in my way and the way of progress. Why are we still talking about climate change? Why is there still so much injustice in the world? Why am I still struggling with managing my time, making ends meet, and life decisions? Shouldn’t I, we, be so much further ahead?

But the reality is, we have made progress. In my life time alone we have witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall, people living in space, and the invention of handheld computers called smartphones that connect us in ways unimaginable (if you don’t think this is such a big deal, watch this YouTube video of two 17-year-olds try and use the rotary telephone of my youth). Our schools now demonstrate a greater awareness of diversity and our practices are more inclusive and accepting. Yes, we still need to improve, but we’re doing just fine.

And I’m doing just fine too. Yes, there are things I’d like to change but there’s no need to try and rush through to get there faster. Things will unfold as they need to, and some things will take the time they do. So, for 2019, it will be the word patience that will ground my practice and existence.

New Year’s Eve is the traditional time to reflect back on the year that was and then resolve to make changes for the year ahead. In education we tend to do this also in June and September to mark the end and start of the new school year. However, as we say goodbye to 2018, it’s a good time to look back at what lessons we’ve learned. Here are a few of my own.

Goodbye Fitbit, Hello Clock Radio!

After wearing a Fitbit for over a year, one thing I noticed was that unlike most people, I moved less instead of more. I became less fit! I found that I was paying attention to the Fitbit to tell me whether or not I was moving enough instead of listening to my body. Since taking it off, I am more conscious of when I am low in energy, when my body feels sluggish, and when I need to run to relieve the tension I am carrying. Without the Fitbit, I am far more mindful of how my body feels and respond to that instead of what it says on an app.

In 2018, our Comprehensive School Health Committee identified sleep as the health issue that we would tackle in 2019. Report after report indicated that our students are chronically under-slept. In fact, all of us are getting less sleep than we did even 10 years ago resulting in poorer physical and mental health outcomes. In our research, we discovered that one way to improve sleep was to keep the smartphone out of the bedroom. To test the theory and walk the talk, I moved my charger from beside my bed and replaced it with a clock radio. You know what? It’s true, my sleep has improved! I no longer am tempted to look at my phone if I wake in the middle of the night and I wake up more rested when the sounds of the radio come on (CBC Radio 1, actually).

The Instant Pot

Okay, I know this isn’t really education related, but holy cow – I love my Instant Pot! I had heard people rave about this appliance before, but only bought it because it was a good deal on Amazon Prime day. OMG, it is the appliance I didn’t know I needed! What does it do, you ask? What doesn’t it do? It sautés, it slow cooks, it pressure cooks, it makes yoghurt, and most importantly, it saves time. After putting dinner in the Instant Pot, I will often do a workout while it’s cooking. The Instant Pot has revolutionized the way I cook and what I cook – I use it 2 to 3 times per week and make things I would normally never even attempt (think restaurant quality cheesecake and dulce de leche). I think I have convinced at least a dozen or so people in the district to get one and jump on the Instant Pot bandwagon. It’s worth getting it just for the cheesecake alone!

Homophobia and Transphobia Are Still Alive and Well

On a more serious note, 2018 taught me that our work in SOGI is needed as much as ever. The lead up to the civic elections around the province saw an increase in homophobic and transphobic responses that were based on untruths, misinformation, and a lack of education. Recent conversations with friends and family outside of education have also highlighted for me that many people are still unaware of or even reject the existence of the discrimination and violence LGBTQ people are still facing. However, on the positive side, there has also been a more visible showing of those who support SOGI diversity as was evident by our large entry in the 2018 Pride Parade.

Looking Forward to 2019

While I think resolutions are a bit overrated, the beginning of the new year is a good time to highlight changes that we want to see in the coming days. I’m looking forward to at least the following initiatives.

Sleep Week and District (North Shore) Wide Pyjama Day

As I mentioned above, the Comprehensive School Health Committee (made of community, school district, and DPAC members) identified improvement in sleep habits as our health target for this year. To bring awareness to the need to change habits, public schools in West Vancouver and North Vancouver will be participating in Sleep Week from February 18 to 22 in 2019. Each day, one tip for better sleep will be highlighted with the hope that all of us will change habits to increase the amount and quality of sleep we are getting. Watch for staff, students, and community members across the North Shore coming to school and work in their pyjamas to bring greater awareness to this campaign.

West Van Run

We take Wellness seriously in West Van and one way we promote this is through promotion of the West Van Run http://www.westvanrun.com/. For the past few years several of us have committed to walking or running the 5K or 10K community race to promote physical fitness for staff and students. It’s a great reminder to keep moving and stay physically and mentally fit. However, self-care is more than just exercise and I’ll be writing more about how and why educators should engage in self-care practices.

SOGI and Pride 2019

I’m really looking forward to seeing more growth in the awareness and action around SOGI education. And really, it’s not the kids who need the educating – it’s the adults. As Chris Kennedy pointed out in his recent blog post (https://cultureofyes.ca/2018/12/29/my-top-3-lists-for-2018/), SOGI isn’t much of an issue for students. Instead we need to continue working on enlightening the adults so that we might come to understand what the kids already know. However, I’m hopeful that we’ll catch up and that our 2019 entry in the Pride Parade will be even bigger than ever.

There are so many more things to look forward to in this new year. This is a great time to take stock of what we value and want to keep; let go of those things, ideas, and beliefs that no longer serve us; and make plans for what we want to change and grow. Happy New Year, everyone!

The schools we have today are a far cry from the factory models that were designed to produce the workers needed during the industrial revolution. It’s no longer a “one size fits all” kind of place. For instance, our West Vancouver Schools have a variety of options that include more traditional programs like French Immersion and International Baccalaureate, as well as specific academies that draw specialized interests such as animation, baseball and fencing. Yes, that’s right, fencing! No longer do we stream boys into the industrial arts and girls into home economics – students are free to choose from a myriad of options that might suggest that there’s something for everyone.

However, the structure of school itself isn’t designed for everyone. Schools were designed to meet what might be considered the “normal” needs of most of the population. If we consider a normal distribution, the majority, or 68% of the population, are in the middle (blue part) of the curve. For those who find themselves on the margins, school can be a difficult place to be. Consider those students who might have learning disabilities, those who might have difficult home lives, or those who might struggle with mental health – despite the increasing range of options available, schools are still designed to meet the needs of the middle and some students remain on the outsides.

There appears to be a growing narrative across the province that suggests an increasing number of students identified with special needs are arriving in our classrooms and there are many more who have needs that are not recognized by ministry designations. As well, the narrative goes, there are an increasing number of English Language Learners. But as I think about normal distributions, if the majority of the students in a classroom have diverse needs, then wouldn’t diversity actually BE the norm? Perhaps we are struggling with trying to meet the diverse needs of our learners because the factory model of school no longer reflects the world in which we live. If we want schools to exude the spirit of inclusion and embrace diversity, to be places where all students belong, feel welcome, and have meaningful learning experiences, then we need to make more changes.

Let’s start by changing the language we use, beginning with “special” education. The title of special education perpetuates the idea of “otherness”. It suggests a medical model that identifies the student as flawed and in need of fixing. Although our department is now called Student Support Services, we might consider just being called Student Services or even better, placed under the umbrella of Learning Services, supporting all teachers and students in teaching and learning. Removing the special education or student support label may help to remove that sense of difference and move differentiation from the margins to the center of educational practice.

While we are rethinking special education, let’s rethink alternate education too. Inglewood Secondary is our newest West Vancouver high school from which students can graduate with a full Dogwood Diploma. The structure of Inglewood is designed around flexible scheduling and individualized learning in a smaller setting. Led by Head Teacher, Stefan Huskilson, the staff at Inglewood are passionate about creating a learning environment where the students feel like they belong and matter.

Recently, Stefan and Inglewood student, Teagan Hartwick, presented to our District Parent Advisory Committee. Teagan explained that the students at Inglewood are regular kids – they just need a different environment. She talked about how it didn’t work for her in the big school; she wasn’t attending and wanted to drop out. But being at Inglewood is different. She called Inglewood “home” and talked about working so hard that she could have graduated a year early. In fact, she has now applied to university. And while she talked about how she used to be failing in the other setting, I think she got that part wrong. School was failing Teagan. And unfortunately, despite the different options, technology, and new programs, we still aren’t reaching every child.

We need to rethink how we do education. Let’s change our collective attitudes, beliefs, and practices to better include all our students and make them all feel like they belong. All of our kids deserve to have meaningful learning experiences and achieve high standards. Because in the end, it’s not alternate, it’s not special, it’s just education.

On the morning of August 11th, a statue of John A. Macdonald in front of Victoria City Hall was removed, placed in storage, and sparked great controversy. On one side of the debate, some claimed that the statue paid homage to one of the leading architects of a residential school system that was responsible for years of intergenerational trauma and cultural genocide. It had to go. But others suggested that removing the statue amounted to erasing an important part of Canadian history. In a Global News article, Mayor Lisa Helps explained “So John A. Macdonald was a great man. We live in one of the greatest countries in the world, without question. And he was also the architect of the Indian Residential School system. So we need to find a way to commemorate history and reconcile with history.” Certainly a great goal, but getting to that place of balance is messy. With emotions running high on both sides, it’s hard to know whether taking down the statue was the right thing to do. However, one point became very clear: people are talking about it.

Those of us in education are lucky. For over a decade, we have been increasingly exposed to Indigenous Education and First Peoples Principles of Learning, improving our understanding of their importance. For instance, in West Vancouver we have recently had speakers such as Harlan Pruden and Brad Baker share their stories to help us “go forward with courage” towards truth and reconciliation. With ongoing dialogue and professional development, we are growing in awareness and knowledge about Indigenous culture and our collective history. However, not everyone has this opportunity.

Despite growing attention through stories like Gord Downie’s Secret Path and Richard Wagamese’s Indian Horse, many people still have limited knowledge about residential schools or the findings uncovered by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). Today, Sunday, is Orange Shirt Day and despite the wide-spread recognition in B.C. schools, it wasn’t evident that other people knew it. There was no mention of it on the morning news and I didn’t see any orange shirts in the restaurant, grocery store, or movie theatre. However, it’s not really surprising since Indigenous Education hasn’t been around for very long. We certainly didn’t learn about it when I was in school. It was when I took some Indigenous Cultural Sensitivity training that I finally became aware of the extent to which indigenous children were taken from their parents, sent to residential schools designed to eradicate their culture, and suffered horrendous abuse (the documentary Kuper Island: Return to the Healing Circle is part of the training and can be viewed on YouTube). Before the training, I hadn’t grasped the full impact of colonization, oppression, and cultural genocide engineered by the founding members of Canada. I was shocked that none of this was covered in school and I’m not alone. A friend recently participated in the Blanket Exercise, exposing her to significant parts of Canadian Indigenous history that were left out of our school experience. “Why weren’t we taught any of this?” She asked. “We were cheated.” And she was right.

The Summary of the Final Report of the TRC states: “No Canadian can take pride in this country’s treatment of Aboriginal peoples, and, for that reason, all Canadians have a critical role to play in advancing reconciliation in ways that honour and revitalize the nation-to-nation Treaty relationship (p. 183).”The title of the report is aptly named “Honouring the Truth, Reconciling the Future” – we must all face the truth of our past before we can heal. The controversy surrounding the removal of Sir John A. Macdonald effectively spurred discussion about our collective history. It is this discussion that will expose the truths that move us towards reconciliation and is why we need to recognize Orange Shirt Day. Orange Shirt Day draws attention to the painful legacy of residential schools and recognizes survivors like Phyllis Webstad. West Vancouver Schools are taking this opportunity to engage students in age-appropriate and meaningful conversations about the history and impact of colonization and residential schools. These are the conversations that I wish we had when I was in school. It is only through these conversations that we will move towards healing.

My First Post

While many administrators in West Vancouver Schools have been blogging for years, this is my first foray into the blog world. My blog title reflects both my philosophy of education and of life: While we must strive to honour and celebrate our uniqueness, to live authentically, and to express ourselves freely; we also live, learn, and work together in a pluralistic society. This means that sometimes we disagree, that our ideas will clash, and that we will struggle with finding our way. However, we are on this journey together and, frankly, it’s a good thing. Our differences challenge us to try harder to understand each other and help us stay wide-awake to our own beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions.

SOGI

For instance, there are a few but loud voices against the sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) work in schools around the province. Much of the rhetoric is based in fear and untruths, in some cases frighteningly outlandish. But as upsetting as some of the statements and tactics have been, there is one very valid point being made: People should find out what is being taught in their schools. This is true of all subjects, but for now let’s just look at SOGI.

Photo by Kirsty Lee on Unsplash

SOGI education is not a specific curriculum – you won’t find a textbook or a standardized test on it. SOGI education is about understanding, accepting, and celebrating our diversity. It’s about using language that reflects all sexual orientations and gender identities and having safe spaces for everyone. What we are trying to do is open hearts and minds to the idea that everyone is valued and loved – no matter who you are, what you wear, or who you love.

It is so much more than universal washrooms, although this is not something to be taken lightly. Our opening day speaker, Ivan Coyote, was incredibly inspiring and has a Ted Talk explaining why we need gender neutral washrooms that is particularly poignant. But we need to do more. For instance, when we teach about family, kids need to see books that represent different types of families, not just one. All kids need to see themselves and their families represented. We need to be sensitive to using language that assumes everyone is straight (heteronormativity) or that everyone identifies with the sex characteristics they were born with (cisnormativity). This is not meant to shame anyone and I mess up all the time – it’s difficult to retrain our social programming – but we need to try.

The Pride Parade

We also need to be in the Pride Parade. On the parade route, we repeatedly heard, “West Vancouver sure has changed!” We were thanked over and over just for being there. This year, like last year, there was a lot of cheering, there was an abundance of joy, and I admit, for me there were tears. At a time when it seems that a small number of people have been given a platform to express fear and hate, there are so many more who are voicing support and celebrating diversity. That there is so much expressed joy and love in our school district and community for our LGBTQ+ students, staff, and families – it makes me cry every time.

So, in some ways, I am grateful for some opposition to our SOGI work. It forces us to closely examine what we believe and to explicitly articulate what and why we are teaching. It has also spurred more people into action. We had more than double our numbers in the West Vancouver Schools entry this year. The District of West Vancouver graciously donated the use of their trailer (Thank you!). Our facilities department took great care and pride in building our float (thank you all, especially to Neil who thought of everything!). Parent Sarah Farhangi helped us design the float, the t-shirts, and painstakingly sewed the float fabric (thank you, Sarah!). Several staff helped paint the float and several more came with their spouses, children, and pets to celebrate diversity in the parade (you are all amazing!). We showed up as a community to let the world know that in West Vancouver Schools, love wins. I have never been so proud to be an educator.